Saturday Ride, March 14 By Jerry Arvesen, Ride Leader
It had been years since I'd led a BBC ride, and never a Saturday ride, so I was a bit nervous as the weekend approached, especially after hearing that 35 cyclists had ridden on the previous week's ride. (The saying "herding cats" comes to mind when I think of leading a ride.) Saturday morning arrived cool, gray and overcast, with temperatures in the mid-40s. The weather, and spring break, must have kept the numbers down, as only two riders were at Bryan Park at 10:55. However, that quickly grew to eleven a few minutes later, and after some brief introductions and route review, we were off.
Our group consisted of some regulars like Mike Finger, Keith Vogelsang, and Allan Edmonds. Since I'm only a regular-wannabe, a few other BBC members were new to me: Chris Bonham, Carl Field, and Allan Headley. John Connell and Bill Struemph were also along, as was a fellow on a cool Kona hybrid, plus a strong young rider on a single- speed.
Our ride to the first regroup location at the old Mt. Gilead church and cemetery was uneventful, mainly dealing with traffic, potholes, and sand on the roads. It wasn't until the climb up the other end of Mt. Gilead that the lead riders started to disappear. Bill and I recounted our painful memories of last summer's final 20 miles of the Wilbur ride, when it seemed as if we'd never get back to Bloomington. We also talked about climbing hills on March legs, and regardless of how strong we think we are the hills never seem to get easier.
Heading south on Brummetts Creek, we all fell into the state of bliss that relaxed riding brings, as we chatted and enjoyed the first signs of spring in the forests and fields. Brummetts Creek has always been one of my favorite roads. Most of its course is a wide open valley with steep wooded hillsides, low traffic, and picturesque farms. At our second regroup point at Fleener Road, Mike Finger organized a sub- group of five head- and leg-strong riders to tackle Boltinghouse hill. This included Tom, our visitor from Seattle, and our young single-speed rider. It seems as if Tom had heard of the Boltinghouse folklore on last week's training ride, and wanted some proof before convincing his friends back home about Indiana hills. I wonder how our 43×18 single-speed managed on Boltinghouse?
The rest of us mortals, scoffing at this insanity, headed for the two- mile flat stretch of SR46 before joining Gettys Creek and Kerr Creek roads. We continued along the creeks at a relaxed 15 mph pace, and powered our way up the Kerr Creek hill with only minimal griping. Through Park Ridge East individuals started to head towards home, as did I, after ensuring that the few remaining riders could manage their way back to Bryan Park. All in all, a great friendly group, a nice relaxed pace, good spring air, and 25 miles into the ride log.
